My Home In You
by ilovetvalot
Summary: When Rossi remains indecisive about their relationship, JJ makes some decisions of her own.
1. Chapter 1

**My Home in You**

_**Prompt: Ally McBeal – "The Green Monster"**_

**Chapter One**

David Rossi was a confident, self-assured male. An Italian man that had been taught dominance from the cradle. An alpha male.

And yet, he'd been crippled…taken down completely…by one tiny blonde woman.

Jennifer Jareau.

How she'd accomplished the impossible, he wasn't quite sure. Her results had been accomplished with stealth and precision. Her every movement had been calculated, every maneuver she'd made a well-honed plan to beat him at his own game. He could see that now. The little witch had camouflaged herself well. SHE was the wolf in sheep's clothing and he'd missed it.

For months since shaking the diminutive blonde's hand in Hotch's office on his first day back at the BAU, he pursued her. He'd had to…the electricity between them had been too much to ignore, though she'd tried. He'd known she tried. Unfortunately for her, he was a determined man, well skilled in manipulating even the most unwilling subject. He'd used his notoriety and charm to his advantage…and finally he'd worn her down.

Or, he'd thought he had.

But in reality, it had been HER that had worn away years of jaded bitterness. She'd shined light on his dark cynical nature, all but obliterating it. She'd changed him, damn her. And he'd never been a man that when exposed to change, had responded well.

Oh, she'd been subtle. She'd used a butterfly's touch on him. He hadn't even realized what was happening until it had been too late. She'd already woven her web around him by the time he'd acknowledged the power this paragon of virtue could have. Hell, he'd known she was smart. He, however, had never imagined her to be this diabolical**.**

She wanted to get married. To him. She wanted the house, the dog and the two point five kids. He'd have placed the profits of his next book on the fact that she wanted a white picket fucking fence, too.

And she wanted it with him.

After a year of happiness, however, they were now on a break. She was giving him time to assess the situation and reach a resolution of what he wanted. Her words, not his. He could read through the subterfuge though. She might not have said the words, but it was time to either shit or get off the pot. Now, THOSE were his words.

And watching her now, smiling pleasantly at Detective James Mills in this police station in Springfield, Missouri, he realized that perhaps he'd lingered a little too long. Because he knew the look in the other man's eyes. He'd seen it in the mirror enough times to recognize it. Hunger….unadulterated hunger. And it was directed at his Jennifer.

She saw it. She was an intelligent, self-aware woman. She HAD to see it. And based on body posture and the unguarded expression on her face, it didn't bother her…that hunger.

And that bothered him…more than he ever wanted to admit. To her. Or to himself.

Tightening his grip on the mug in his hand, he heard the voices around him, animatedly chattering about the serial rapist running rampant through the streets of this fair city. But, for the life of him, the only thing he could concentrate on at the moment was suppressing the desire to leap across the room and insinuate himself between JJ and that hungry son of a bitch talking to her.

As she abruptly turned away from her conversation, JJ caught his eyes watching her. Damn it! To the casual observer no one would accuse her of smirking. But he'd seen it…that slight quirking of her lips…that smug flash of her eyes, telling him without words that she wouldn't wait forever. She might as well have yelled it at him. He'd become well versed in reading her expressions in the last year, every nuance of her face an open book to him.

Frowning at her as she joined him at the center table, he tried to ignore the faint hint of jasmine teasing his nose as she took the seat beside him.

"Problems, Rossi?" she asked with a knowing gaze, lifting her brow as she inquired. Crossing her ankles, JJ appeared as casual as possible, knowing that she was treading on dangerous ground with him, but needing to take these steps no matter what.

"What makes you ask that, Jen?" Dave asked tightly, shifting back in his chair, the wooden legs scraping against the beat up linoleum below.

Shrugging negligently, JJ smiled. "You looked a little tense." Tilting her head, she continued, voice just as casual, "I just came over to let you know that Hotch has broken the team for the night. We're supposed to meet back here by seven in the morning." Message delivered, she rose slowly, eying him carefully. "Now, if you'll excuse me, James has offered to show me down to the coffee shop to find a decent cup of coffee."

He couldn't let her leave that easily, especially after hearing her deliver that news. Grabbing her arm in a gentle, yet intractable grip as she began to move away, Dave raised a brow. "James? Getting friendly with the locals, JJ?" he bit out, fighting to control the anger that was begging to escape.

Shrugging again, JJ smiled serenely, her blue eyes calm. "I call you by your first name, don't I?"

"Yeah, and you've spent the last year in my bed. So, unless you plan on giving young James the same courtesy, I'd say that's a bit fast. Especially since you called me Rossi the first three months we dated," Dave returned evenly, aware that eyes all over the room were watching them. And he had no intentions of letting that deter him in the least.

"Times change though, don't they? Besides, I heard a couple of the cops talking about the pie there. Evidently, it's to die for," she smiled, enjoying his obvious discomfort. "Maybe it's time for me to try something new," she added, letting the double meaning of her words wash over him. Damn, she hated to employ dirty methods, but this man needed a wakeup call. She wanted a life…marriage…kids. And she wanted him. But, lately she wondered if she could have both. Thus, this time out in their relationship while she gave him time to figure out if he wanted the same things she did. She acted nonchalant, but there hadn't been a night in the last two weeks that she hadn't gone to bed lonely…terrified that she was making a mistake.

But the look on his face now spoke volumes. David Rossi was pissed. And jealous. And you didn't feel that way unless you cared, did you? Relenting a little, JJ murmured, for his ears only, "It's coffee, Dave. Not a date."

Releasing her arm, Dave shook his head, his eyes glaring down at the petite blonde. "This is low, Jen. Making me jealous? Isn't that beneath you?"

Her arm missed the warmth of his hand, acutely. Ignoring that feeling as she cocked her head, JJ replied quietly, "You know how to end this…one way or another. It's up to you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dave asked sharply, narrowing his eyes as he tried to gain a clue, any clue, from her expression. Damn it, he hated ultimatums.

"Two words, Rossi. Tick. Tock." And with those simple words, she turned, forcing herself to continue forward with her plans.

Watching her walk away from him, Rossi knew one thing with certainty. The woman he loved had just put him on notice.


	2. Chapter 2

**My Home In You**

**Chapter Two**

Why couldn't a woman ever just be satisfied with the status quo? Why did they always feel this insidious need to try to improve things? Opting to walk the short distance back to the hotel, these were the thoughts that filled his mind.

They'd been happy. Honestly, in the past year, he'd been more than happy. He'd been thrilled, overjoyed…to finally find a woman that alternately frustrated and challenged him. Up until now, he'd found that one of the most attractive qualities about JJ was her ability to match him, head on. That was until she'd started hinting around about marriage and kids.

He'd been married. Three times. He'd also failed. Three times.

Whether because of incompatibility or laziness, the result had been the same following every march down the aisle. He'd proven to himself that if there was one thing he WASN'T good at, marriage was it. And kids? Kids were a mystery to him. Based on his limited exposure, he liked them well enough, he supposed. Then again, his primary knowledge of that species of human came mostly from what he'd seen and observed with his sisters. And his nieces and nephews, while cute, still had never been enough of an incentive to venture into the realm of parenthood.

Hell, if he was being honest with himself – and coincidentally, he really hated to do that – he was scared. Terrified he'd screw this up with the only woman that he actually could imagine a forever with. He'd had her damn ring for six months. For half a damned year, he'd carried that diamond solitaire around in his pocket. Didn't go anywhere without it…the cursed thing had become a security blanket. Wallet? Check. Keys? Check. Ring? Check.

Those were the questions he asked himself when he filled his pockets in the morning.

And now, she was out with another man. An attractive, intelligent, younger man. A man that was most definitely not HIM. And he felt positively homicidal. It was his fault…he could acknowledge that. This was how far he'd managed to push her with his indecision and doubt. Into another man's company. Shit!

Pausing as he reached the double glass doors leading into the hotel lobby, he knew his surrender was imminent. If he survived this night. And he had his doubts about that.

And four hours later, he had even more. Shifting in the hard, wooden chair, Rossi looked desperately around the small, generic hotel room. Thinking about anything other than what could possibly be happening with the love of his life was definitely the better option. But all he could see were the very things that made him think more of her. Her hairbrush, thrown haphazardly on the dresser...just like she did when she lived in HIS home at Little Creek. Her hand lotion, on the nightstand....just like it was when she lived at Little Creek.

Everywhere he looked, he saw reminders of his Jennifer. Damn. This definitely wasn't working.

His head jerked as he heard the slide of the keycard in the door, the familiar click letting him know that the next act to this little drama was about to unfold. And as the tiny blonde stepped into the room and met his eyes, hers brightened with shock, he said the first thing that came to his mind. Not that it was the best choice. Not at all.

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" he growled out, his eyes locked on hers.

Recovering quickly, her surprise at seeing him in her room starting to be tempered by a rising sense of anger, JJ dropped her bag on the dresser as she said, as calmly as possible, "Gee, I wasn't aware that I had a curfew, since I'm definitely of legal age." Making a show of glancing at her thin gold watch, she added, casually, "And look! It appears that my watch might have stopped. Wonder what caused that?"

"JJ, if I were you, I'd think very carefully about anything I said to me over the next few minutes. There's a goddamned rapist loose on these streets, in case it escaped your notice." Dave warned, his tone vaguely threatening.

"Oh please!" JJ snorted, waving her hand for emphasis as she barely resisted the urge to stomp her heel into the carpet. "This is about me being out with another man. Don't try to make it about anything else, Rossi. I'm a trained agent with a gun. But, if it makes you feel any better, James walked me back to the hotel," JJ replied sweetly, omitting the small detail that in addition to the Detective, his wife joined them as well. "Look around, Dave. This is MY room and I don't owe you any explanations. I'm a free woman, well above the age of consent. What I do with my own time is my business," JJ stated unapologetically, narrowing her eyes as she looked at the frustrating man.

"Free? You're now FREE?" Dave asked, narrowing his own eyes on the woman in front of him.

"Dave," JJ sighed, recognizing the error in her words, knowing that he was not seeing this in the same manner she was.

"Let me disabuse you of that notion now, JJ. You are NOT free. We agreed that you'd give me time to think, without distraction, on where I wanted this to go. We never agreed that we'd see other people. Ergo, not FREE," he hissed, rising slowly from his chair as he attempted to reign in his rising anger.

"Nothing happened, David," JJ informed him quietly, her words spoken with assurance.

Confident that she wouldn't betray him, at least not that way, Dave shook his head. "That isn't the point, now is it? You wanted me to be able to think without distractions? What the fuck would you call tonight?" Dave growled, waving a hand at her as he took another step closer.

"I'd call it me, slowly losing patience, Rossi," JJ snapped, her lips pursing as she propped both hands on her hips, his attitude starting to grate on her last nerve. "I'd call it me, becoming excessively tired of waiting on a man to decide I'm worth his while. I'd call it me, taking a tentative step toward my future!"

"With James," Rossi sneered, his words thrown out harshly.

"Perhaps," JJ shrugged, kicking off her heels, sinking her toes into the carpet. "He's interested enough," she lied smoothly, watching the anger and pain play across his face. Deciding to push him a little further as she began unbuttoning her blouse, she continued, "And tonight I found out that there ARE still men interested in me." Waving a hand between them she grumbled, "Immediate, emotionally available alternatives to this."

"You said you'd give me time, Jennifer," Dave groaned, visions of the last grain of sand slowly leaking from an invisible hourglass flashing in his head.

Peeling off her white blouse, JJ threw it violently toward the bed as she glared at him, her words flying from her lips. "We never discussed the time limit though, did we? Maybe I'm tired of waiting. Exactly how long do you expect me to wait while you decide if you can bear the thought of being with me forever? Another year? Five years? Perhaps a decade would do it for you?"

"Damn it, Jen," Dave growled, running a trembling hand through his dark hair, pacing as she grabbed her nightgown from the end of the bed with an angry swipe of her hand.

Shaking her head at him sadly, she gazed somberly, the only noise in the room from the clock on the wall and the soft whir of air blowing from the vents. Cocking her head, she looked at the flushed face of the only man she'd ever really loved and whispered, almost sadly, "Do you hear that, Dave? That sound?"

"What sound?" Dave asked absently, still pacing as he fiddled with the ring in his pocket, his fingers rubbing reassuringly against the velvet.

"That's time ticking by," she said softly, her eyes dogging his every step, wondering if they would ever lead him to her. "And I'm beginning to believe that you and I have reached our expiration date. I guess it's time for me to begin examining other options," she whispered, turning toward the bathroom.


	3. Chapter 3

**My Home In You**

**Chapter Three**

Hell, no! Jerking his eyes toward her as she turned her back on him, he knew there wasn't any way he'd willingly ever let this woman walk away from him. Not literally or figuratively.

He'd never remember moving across the room later. But as she reached the threshold of the bathroom, he grabbed her arm gently, pulling her around to face him. Feeling the warmth of her skin seeping into his palm, he focused on her deep blue eyes as he said, "There aren't any other options for either of us anymore, Jennifer. And there haven't been for a long time. There's only one thing I'm going to be willing to give you right now."

"Unless it ends with a bouquet and a set of rings, we're still going to be on different pages, David," JJ said sadly, slowly beginning to think that her plan had backfired. That she had lost him. Because it truly appeared that David Rossi no longer intended on giving her the happily ever after that she had been waiting for her entire life.

"Jen, I don't think a set of rings is going to be possible for me right now," he said slowly, fingering the ring in his pocket.

Jerking away from him, JJ shook her head. Yes, her plan had definitely gone awry. And, now, he'd forced her hand. Taking a step back, she whispered, "Then there isn't really anything left to say, is there, David? Because no matter how in love with you I am, I'm not settling for less than I deserve." Feeling her throat tighten, she turned away, blindly stumbling toward the sink, her hand grabbing the cold granite in desperation as she muttered, "You need to go now."

His heart clenched as he watched her brace herself against the sink, defeated. "Jen, you didn't let me finish," he said softly.

"You don't have anything left to say that I want to hear, Dave. Get out," she said harshly, her words muffled as she hung her head, squeezing her eyes shut against the pain.

"You really need to turn around and look at me," he said softly, pulling the diamond from the box in his pocket easily, holding it out in the palm of his hand. As she jerked around to glare at him, he extended his hand, palm up. "I said I didn't have a set, sweetheart. I never said I didn't have a ring."

Eyes widening as she looked at his hand, the diamond sparkling in the dim bathroom, she felt her breath catch. Heart pounding, she blinked quickly, several times, wondering if she'd entered some kind of alternate dimension. Watching as the hard man in front of her slowly knelt on the faded carpet just outside the bathroom door, she whispered blankly, her words coming out slowly, "You had a ring?"

Nodding wordlessly, Dave swallowed, his words catching in his throat as his eyes begged her to believe him. "I've had a ring for six months."

"You let me believe that you didn't want me…us…and you had a freaking ring?" she asked, stepping dangerously forward as her eyes narrowed, her thoughts suddenly turning to anger as she realized that he had purposefully allowed her to live in limbo. And as he opened his mouth to reply, she struck the first blow against his shoulder, her hand connecting easily with the joint. "How could you do that to me? Do you have any idea what you've put me through, you bastard!" she yelled, pummeling his shoulders as he wrapped solid arms around her waist in self-defense..

Knocked off balance, Dave toppled backward on the grey carpet, pulling JJ with him as she landed astride his hips, her eyes flashing angrily in the soft glow of the bedroom. Wincing as his head made contact with the thinly padded flooring, he mentally wondered if this tiny thing was going to kill him before he had a chance to marry her. Capturing her hands quickly, needing to limit her ability to maim him, he shouted, "Jennifer, I had my reasons, damn it! Just listen to me for a second, honey!"

Chest heaving from exertion, JJ blew a strand of hair from her eyes as she glowered down at him. Her efforts to gain the freedom of her hands was met with great resistance, which only encouraged her to double her labors. "What? What possible reason could you have had for allowing me to think that you weren't sure if you wanted us when you've been carrying around an engagement rings for SIX MONTHS?" she snapped angrily.

"Fear," he said simply, honestly, as he stared up into sapphire eyes. A year with this amazing woman had taught him that simplicity was often the best approach. And at this point, hovering on the cusp of the failures of the past and the hopes of the future, he could only hope that the truth would truly set him…set them….free.

"Fear?" she gasped, disbelief filling every letter of the simple word. Jerking her hands again, she pulled them free, only to slam them against his chest again as she snorted, very unladylike, "I've been sending signals for months, David. You should have KNOWN what my answer would have been! So don't you hand me fear as an excuse."

Grasping her narrow hips as he shifted up to prop against the floor on his elbows, he shook his head. "I wasn't afraid of your answer…I'm scared of the whole institution. It tends to happen when you've tried it and sucked at it three times, Jen. I didn't want to ruin what we HAD found with each other."

Now that gave her pause. Because she knew by the look in his dark eyes, he was being completely honest with her. And she had to admire the truth in his statement, even though she believed that there was not a single thing that they couldn't conquer together. Wriggling in his lap, JJ drew back enough to look directly in his eyes as she asked the one question that honestly mattered. "Do you love me, Rossi?"


	4. Chapter 4

**My Home In You**

**Chapter Four**

"You KNOW I do, damn it. More than I ever thought it possible to love any woman," Dave said solemnly, his hands tightening against her hips, needing to keep contact with her. "But can you honestly tell me that you're not afraid to make that kind of commitment to me, given my track record?"

"No, I'm not. Because I'm nothing like those other women you were with. I'm never going to let you run roughshod over me. I'm never going to back down when I KNOW I'm right. I'm never going to compromise our marriage vows, should we take them. And I KNOW I'm not going to let you do it either," JJ said, every word that flowed from her lips forthright and convicted, her eyes daring him to doubt her.

"Would I have to go through the whole wedding ordeal again?" he questioned hopefully, visions of the circus that was his second wedding dancing maniacally in his head. As much as he loved this amazing woman, he would move heaven and earth to avoid the mind-numbing hoopla.

"I want a marriage, not a wedding," JJ replied evenly, her fingers sliding comfortingly against his shirt as she smoothed imaginary wrinkles in the linen. "So, should I accept, no, you wouldn't have to go through the whole wedding ordeal again, as you put it."

Feeling her body begin to relax against his, Dave released an uneven breath, shifting her off him as he slowly maneuvered onto his knee for the second time in less than five minutes.

Watching his movements, JJ felt her heartbeat quicken, the blood starting to pump faster as she felt her breath catching. Maybe, just maybe, she might have won this round after all.

Taking her cool fingers in his, Dave inwardly winced. Please God, if you ever liked me at all, don't let me screw this one up, he prayed. Looking at her reserved face, he sighed, letting out the pent up breath that seemed to have tightened his chest. Clearing his throat, he said the first thing that came to mind. "I'm a jackass."

Cocking her head, JJ nodded. "Agreed, but, in your defense, I knew that going in," she replied steadily, feeling his fingers tighten around hers in a warning squeeze.

"In the interest of time, do you think, perhaps, you'd be willing to save your comments to the end?" Dave asked as he dropped his head to his chest, squeezing his eyes closed. The hardest thing he'd ever done in his life, and she wanted to narrate it.

"Okay," she whispered, her fingers tightening slowly in his, feeling the strength flow through him to her.

Lifting dark eyes back to hers, he whispered, his emotions hovering closer to the surface than he ever remembered, "I've never loved anyone the way I love you, Jennifer. I thought I knew what it was…the love thing. And you demonstrated how wrong I was. At fifty-three years old, I found out I was still an amateur. But you've been a patient teacher. And I'm grateful for that. I want to be your husband…for you to wear my ring. I know that my actions have indicated otherwise, but like I said…I'm a jackass. But I'm working on it. I know I've put you through hell these last few weeks. Believe me, I know…I've been living there right alongside you whether you realized it or not. And I'm genuinely sorry."

Pausing, he studied her neutral face for a moment, looking for some sign that he could repair this damage. Seeing none, he plowed ahead, refusing to lose faith completely.. "Losing you would break me, Jen. And up until I met you, I didn't think there was anyone that could do that. God knows, I'd never met a woman that could. But the thought of not being with you rips me apart. Not loving you enough was never the issue. The thing was, I loved you too much to risk losing you…and I've almost done that anyway. So, I need you to tell me that I didn't leave it until too late. I need you to say yes. Say you'll marry me?"

She wanted to scream her acceptance, to shout it from the mountaintops, to hire the Goodyear Blimp to advertise it to the world. She did. But she had to know he was willing to go the entire distance with her, not merely complete a lap or two just to placate her into a false sense of complacency. So instead, she inquired simply, one word conveying her deal breaker, "Kids?"

"One," he offered with a slow smile, feeling a hope rising in him, slowly but surely filling his heart with anticipation.

"Three," she countered, raising a brow heavenward, as she mentally bit back a smile, wondering idly if she would have negotiate everything in their life together.

"I'm willing to split the difference at two with an option on a third," he replied easily, knowing that he was really not going to quibble with her on something that he was going to give in on eventually.

"Deal," she said with a satisfied nod, mentally marking a win in her category. "Now ask the question," she ordered sternly, forcing herself to remain stoic, refusing to bend.

Rolling his eyes, Dave crawled forward until he was directly in front of her, the thin carpet rubbing rough against his knees. "Fine," he muttered. "But if you don't say yes this time, I may strangle you," he grumbled.

Holding the twinkling ring in front of him, he took a deep breath. "Jennifer Jareau, will you please do this humble," he paused, hearing her indelicate snort, "-this humble man the honor of becoming my last and final wife?"

"Why?" she asked breathlessly, her eyes drawn to his, an electrical connection sparkling in the few inches that barely separated them.

"Because I love you," he replied with a simple sincerity that brought tears to her eyes.

"Then the answer is yes," she whispered as she blinked in futility, finally giving in and throwing herself into his arms as he breathed a deep sigh of relief, sliding the ring on her finger.


	5. Chapter 5

**My Home In You**

**Chapter Five**

"Damn it, woman! You know how to make a man sweat blood," he complained against her lips as they tumbled backward on the floor again, his body no longer noticing the less-than-desirable surface, his senses far more attuned to the amazing woman covering him.

"Shut up and don't ruin the moment," she whispered violently, covering his lips again as nimble fingers attacked the row of buttons on his shirt.

Sliding warm hands up her legs as she straddled him, Dave chuckled against her neck, pressing kisses along the column of her throat. "You already sound like my wife," he gasped as her fingers found the zipper at his fly, quickly eliminating the barrier. Reaching up to cradle the back of her head, he pulled her back down to him when she would have moved.

"Protection," JJ gasped against his lips as he nudged her intimately.

"You said three kids," he panted, cupping her hips in his hands as he slid her willing body into position easily. "We need to get busy. I'm not a young man anymore."

Moaning as he sheathed himself within her, JJ clutched Dave's neck as he rolled them. Landing on her back against the soft carpet, she stared up into glittering eyes. "I love you," she whispered as he began moving within her, edging them both toward an invisible precipice.

"Love you, too," he murmured, covering her lips again. "Don't you ever leave me again," he whispered against her ear as he filled her.

Nodding against his shoulder, JJ tightened her arms around the trembling man above her as his strokes lengthened. Lifting her hips to receive him, she closed her eyes as pleasure radiated through every pore of her body. It had only been two weeks since she'd experienced his touch, but in that moment, there in his arms, it felt like a lifetime. "David," she gasped, her nails digging into his shoulder blades as the pleasure tightened around them.

Feeling her nails bite into the muscles of his shoulders, Dave buried his face in the hair at her throat, her sweet smell enveloping him, pushing him further. Never, had he ever experienced anything like this. Sliding into her heat…bare…unguarded. Loving her…knowing she was his forever. He groaned against her neck as her scream of completion echoed off the walls of the room and finally he let go of his tightly leashed control, burying himself in her body, allowing his body the release it craved.

Three long hours later, tangled in each other against the cool sheets of the well-used bed they were in, JJ murmured, languidly, "I've got a confession to make about tonight."

Burying his hand in her long mussed hair, Dave turned on his side to look at her face, the sheet riding low on his hips. "A confession. That sounds cryptic." Suddenly remembering exactly where she had been earlier that evening, and with whom, he frowned as he asked, his voice rising in anger, "Did that Mills guy try something? So help me God, Jen, if he so much as-,"

Pressing one finger against his lips, effectively quelling his drastic assumption, JJ shook her head as she dropped her hand to smooth through the hair at his chest, scratching lightly as her ring twinkled in the soft glow of the lamplight. "He was a perfect gentleman," she murmured, feeling him slowly begin to relax against her. "His wife might have frowned on it otherwise," she added, lifting blue eyes to watch his reaction to her casual declaration.

For a moment he laid still as he softly spoken words penetrated the fog of his mind. "Wait! What did you say?" he asked as his brain finally processed her words. Turning to her in shock, he asked, voice rising, "He had a wife?"

"She met us at the coffee shop," JJ murmured, nodding, vaguely ashamed of herself as she remembered the details of the entire day.

"Detective Mills had a wife," Dave repeated incredulously, his eyes narrowing as he glared at her. "And you let me think that…."

"I was desperate," JJ said in her defense, as she felt him shift in the bed beside her, his hand tightening against her bare hip. "And, I did confess…I didn't have to, you know."

"Yeah, you did," Rossi grunted, shaking his head. "You can't stand secrets," he said, gazing down into her flushed face. "You realize you almost got a perfectly innocent man killed, right?"

"One of the reasons that I confessed," JJ nodded, agreeing with his quick assessment. "I didn't want you to take a swing at the poor unsuspecting guy tomorrow," she said knowledgeably, stretching slightly as she leaned further against him.

"Crafty, Jareau," Dave retorted with grudging respect, stroking one finger down a strand of her soft hair. "You know me well. And you played on my jealous nature very effectively."

"I know," JJ murmured guiltily, wincing at the thought. "I used the green monster against you. It was a dirty underhanded trick."

"That got my attention in a way nothing else could have," Dave whispered, drawing her closer under the sheet. "I don't like it, but I've got to admit it was effective." True words, but damn he hated that she'd beat him at his own game.

"Still," JJ shuddered, her mind flashing with crushing scenes of less-than-acceptable outcomes, "It was low."

"It was. And it stops now, Jen. There's no need to make me jealous anymore ever. You caught me, babe," he murmured, brushing a kiss against her temple. "In fact, you've had me wrapped in your web for longer than you know."

"Really?" she asked, glancing up at him in surprise. No matter how long she lived, she would never fail to be amazed at the secrets this man was capable of keeping.

"Really," he confirmed, tightening his arm around her hip, his fingers sweeping in small circles against her silky skin.

"Fine, then no more making me wait. I think a year is long enough, don't you?" she asked, lifting a hand to pull at his beard playfully.

"I do," he whispered, capturing her hand easily as he stalled her torture.

"Now, just try to remember to say those two words again very soon and we'll be in business," she laughed, a mixture of relief and joy coloring the very sound.

"I think I can do that, honey. So when do you want to make this happen for us. Considering we've been fairly proactive on the mission to make those three children and my plans include many more of those activities in our future, I'd say it needs to be soon," Dave suggested, wriggling his eyebrows at her.

"How about as soon as we get home?" JJ grinned up at him, the joy barely concealed in her satisfied eyes.

"I was thinking more like in the morning," he said, pulling her closer. "But I can wait long enough to get us home if you want. But, you'll be moving back into Little Creek immediately. You know that, don't you?"

"I was sort of hoping you'd say that. Living out of a hotel while you decided what you wanted has kind of sucked," JJ nodded, memories of those long, lonely nights causing a shudder to spin down her spine.

"The house hasn't felt like home since you left," Dave confided quietly, gently rubbing her shoulders as he felt her shiver. "I've slept in my office half the time you've been gone and on the couch the other half."

"Our new couch! Dave!" JJ groaned, slapping her hand over her eyes as she thought of the beautiful piece of furniture they had recently purchased. But then a smile flitted across her lips as she remembered further. Purchasing that sofa had given her more hope for their future than anything else….well, at least until now, her eyes flitting to the glimmering diamond on her finger.

"Couldn't get in our bed without you," he shrugged, not apologizing for the sleepless nights he'd suffered through. "It hurt too much."

Snuggling against his chest, JJ murmured slowly, "I learned a couple of things the last two weeks, too. I don't like living without you. I want my home to be wherever you are, David."

"Then you're home, sweetheart," he promised, pulling her over him, her body warmer than any blanket ever created. Cupping her face with one hand, he lifted her left hand with his other, his thumb rubbing against the gold as he whispered, "This ring says you'll always have a home with me."

"And I'm never taking it off, Dave," she whispered in agreement, her eyes connecting with his as she pressed her hand against his chest, then added, "And I'm never leaving you ever again. Home is where my heart is, and my heart is with you."

"Forever, babe, forever," he murmured, his lips capturing hers, sealing his promise for all eternity.

_**FINIS**_


End file.
